The Talneth
"...it goes on, forever my mother used to say. The ruins of an evil empire. If that darn emperor in Marnsmede knows a thing or two, he'll take one look at that waste and realize he ain't got much longer!" Stretching from the Glittering Sea in the west, to Cryshol in the east, and from Vahastria to the north and the Godsguard Gates in the south--the Talneth is easily one of the largest expanses of open no-man's land in all of Crestas. No kings lay claim over those ancient ruins. No men patrol the many streets of a shattered utopia. The Talneth was the heart of Old Roldaera, the center of the world for over 2000 years. But since the fall of the Roldaeran Empire 1083 years ago, the Talneth is nothing more than a wasteland of rubble and ashes from of the largest metropolis that ever was. The estimated population of the Talneth before the fall is debated to be anywhere between 1 billion to 3.5 billion--numbers that baffle the logicians and historians of the present day. And yet, for its emptiness, the Talneth contains a plethora of old treasures and secrets simply waiting to be rediscovered. That is of course if one can brave the multitude of gigantic and horrid monsters that roam the land, or survive the unforgiving weather of magic-hurricanes. Entire armies have marched into those ruins and have never returned. It is said that time flows unnaturally in the Talneth, that a day can feel like a year, and in fact age a man like a year would. Or it can make ten years feel as only a day has gone by and when one returns to civilization he will find that the world has moved on and yet he is still young. The Talneth is a haunted realm, and one that is not to be taken lightly. And because aerocite melts when it comes near the land, thus making airship travel impossible, the only safe way through the wastes is from a Marked The Marked are a sometimes cruel but necessary sacrifice. In order to make one immune to the magical and strange effects of the Talneth (And in fact immune to ALL magic entirely), one must transfer his or her emotions, personality, and memories to the Atlar of Daeus before the Godsguard Gates. (Daeus being the old Roldaeran word for the Ladoroth). Each year, tributes from Vahastria and Cryshol are sent to become Marked. Before the altar, the same which Amyph devours her thralls, the tributes must offer themselves to the Ladoroth's Will by smearing their blood on the altar and then drinking from the black water that trickles down a lone stream from the Helseraphi Mountains. The practice is as old as the Talneth itself and once one is subject to the ritual one falls into a deep sleep. Upon waking up, the tribute is utterly unaware of their past life, of their name, of who their loved ones are. They are made into an entirely blank slate. They retain the ability to speak, and eat and sleep like any other, and yet the Marked each have a distinct monotone in their voice. There is no inflection in the words of a Marked. The Marked have no desires, have no dreams, and live only to aid those that require their services. Very obedient, the Marked will do as they are commanded. It is rare for a Marked to deny a request, even requests that bring physical harm to themselves, and as such, Marked are traditionally escorted by officials from Cryshol or Vahastria for their protection and proper usage. To misuse a Marked, such as having one bring harm to itself and others is strictly forbidden and is punished by one of the only fitting sentences: To be Marked. It is often believed that there is a connection between the mindless thralls of Amyph when she strikes the people of Crestas and the Marked, however experts on Ladoroth will point out that the thralls of Amyph cannot be harmed by any known means to us and that when injured they only slowly reanimate to continue their task. The Marked can die just as easily as any other and require the needs of rest and food. The difference between the thralls and the Marked is that where one is dead, another is a living shell.